The Troubles were not inevitable ancient hatreds erupting, but were actively willed into existence by political actors on both sides who made deliberate choices to escalate violence for strategic advantage.

The hosts repeatedly emphasize that the conflict was not organic or inevitable, but resulted from calculated decisions by individuals like Paisley and republican activists who chose provocation and violence because they believed it served their political interests. ✦ AI generated

Dominic Sandbrook · The Rest Is History · 2026-08-18 · original ↗

People often talk about the Troubles as though they arise organically by accident or by magic. Actually, this is a really good example of how they are willed into being by people who could have made different choices because, as we said, lots of other civil rights campaigners had said, 'Please don't go on this march. You'll only make things worse.' ... I think what's underestimated is how much everything that goes wrong, a lot of it is willed by people who actively wanted to see things get worse because it would suit their political interests. So people who wanted to see fighting and who connived at killing and escalation and all of this. ... There is a sense of a romantic history of sort of outlaw violence and adventure... and they are almost willing it back into being.

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